Lanes of car traffic will close intermittently and short-term detours will be put in place during night work on Memorial Drive from Monday through Friday, according to a Department of Conservation and Recreation email on Friday. More work will follow starting Oct. 15.
“Next week, we are breaking ground on more than $1 million in safety upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists along Memorial Drive, underscoring our commitment to ensuring our parkways are safe and accessible for all,” DCR commissioner Brian Arrigo said in the press release.
The changes are elsewhere described by the state agency as costing more than $1.5 million.
The news comes after the third bicyclist death in Cambridge in four months: John Corcoran, 62, of Newton, killed by an SUV on Sept. 23 at a section of Memorial Drive where bike activists have long been warning of danger and calling for improvements by DCR and the state Department of Transportation.
“We have been working over the last year to design these short-term improvements while we continue to work with local stakeholders and MassDOT on the long-term redesign of the Reid Overpass project that includes the intersection of Memorial Drive and the BU Bridge,” Arrigo said.
The work described by the state includes implementing a speed limit reduction to 25 mph along the bridge corridor; widening sidewalks leading to the rotary to provide 12 feet of raised shared-use path for a total of approximately 1,200 linear feet on the river side of Memorial Drive; improving and reconfiguring wheelchair ramps and median islands at the intersection of Memorial Drive and the bridge; replacing nearly 700 linear feet of existing “Boston pattern fence”; and restriping crosswalks to include green paint for bike crossings.
“We’re relieved that the DCR is finally implementing these critical safety upgrades – recommendations were made in DCR studies dating back to 2002, and were raised again in 2013, 2019 and 2022. It’s heartbreaking that despite decades of advocacy, it took yet another tragic death to spur action,” said Chris Cassa, an organizer with the Cambridge Bicycle Safety group.
Cassa called it “shocking” that more than 1,200 crashes have occurred on Memorial Drive in the past decade, including 29 serious injuries and four fatalities. “The danger spans the entire roadway due to its outdated 1950s design that encourages dangerous speeds. We urgently call on the DCR to make comprehensive changes here that prioritize safety and equity for all road users,” Cassa said in a texted comment.
Areas from Magazine Street to Audrey Street will be affected by the state’s planned work – first next week during nighttime hours of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., but also from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15 through Nov. 26, when there is still potential for night and weekend work, the DCR said.
“Drivers should expect traffic congestion during rush hours and seek alternate routes, if possible. Cyclists are advised to ride at slow speeds with increased caution, stay within marked bike lanes, follow detour signage and lane delineation and yield to pedestrians,” the agency said. “Traffic patterns will be clearly marked, and a police detail will be on site.”
Information on the work, including detours and design plans, are on the department’s webpage for the project.
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OK, lovely– but why have police been silent about the Corcoran death? Why has the driver not been identified? Why have no charges been filed?
So far it seems like State Police are just brushing this death under the rug; nothing to see here, move along. We need to stay on this story until the police disclose what is going on.
It’s about time. It only took a multitude of accidents and death to finally spur the DCR to action.